As I Lay Me Down
by Mrs. Evil Badnasty
Summary: Voldemort has captured Hermione, and Harry has found out something new about Hedwig, namely that she is an Animagus...and his sister.


Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it is a creation of the ever-so-wonderful J.K. Rowling. Bow to her!!!

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Lightning flashed outside the window as the pale, snakelike face turned to glare at the groveling man before him. A cruel sneer twisted his already hideous face, making his appearance even more frightful than it was already. "You have failed me once again, Wormtail," a cold, high-pitched voice said. "I said I wanted the girl here. How hard can it be to penetrate the defenses of a Muggle household and capture a child witch?"

"I'm sorry, my lord," the crouched figure replied in a small squeak of a voice. "It shall not happen again. Just give me but one more chance, and you shall have her in your clutches."

The sneer on the pale man's face deepened. "I need not give you a second chance. For you see, I had several of my other servants follow you, and they succeeded where you could not. I have lost any hope for your redemption, and I have decided that I have no more use for you." He grinned at the wide-eyed horror that filled Wormtail's face at these words.

"No, my lord, please..." Wormtail whispered. "Please do not dispose of me!"

"Crucio_!"_ _the Dark Lord cried, pointing his wand at the frightened man before him._

Wormtail screamed, writhing and twisting on the floor, rolling back and forth with tears streaming out of his watery eyes. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named laughed maniacally and held his position, watching with glee as his servant thrashed on the ground before him. Suddenly, Wormtail was still, with the exception of the sporadic twitches that shook his body. Voldemort motioned to two Death Eaters standing guard nearby, and they carried the convulsing body out of the room.

Turning to another door, he nodded to the man at the door, who immediately opened it to another Death Eater, who entered carrying a struggling young woman. She was gagged and bound, and a look of utmost hatred shone in her defiant eyes. He approached her and smiled. "Ah, the virtuous Hermione Granger," he said in mock admiration. She struggled against the man holding her, trying to unleash her fury on the madman in front of her. Muffled sounds came from her gagged mouth. "Feeling helpless, are we?" he asked sneeringly. He laughed at her as he motioned for the Death Eater to take her away. "You will prove very helpful in bringing Potter to me," he mused as she was dragged out. Then, walking back to his chair, he sat down and giggled.

Harry Potter awoke with a start, an immense feeling of dread hanging over him like a cloud. He reached up to try and ease the white-hot burning feeling in his scar. It wasn't as bad as it usually was after dreams like this, because an even greater feeling was consuming him at the moment: fear. Never before had he awoken with such an enormous feeling of panic as he did now, because Voldemort now held one of his best friends. He clambered out of bed and put his glasses on, his mind reeling. What should he do? Where should he start?

He decided first to owl Ron and tell him everything he had just seen. Sitting down at his desk, he got out a quill and ink and began to write down, in detail, what had occurred in his dream. Finishing it off with a panicked "Write me back as SOON as you can", he sealed it and whistled for Hedwig at his window. Due to strict orders from Dumbledore, Petunia had managed to convince Vernon that it may be best if Harry is allowed to keep in contact with the wizarding world. They had consented to leaving Hedwig uncaged and allowing her to roam freely at night.

When Hedwig arrived at the window, she flew inside, past Harry, rather than landing on the windowsill like she usually did. Puzzled by this change in behavior, he turned around to give her the letter. However, instead of the snowy owl he always saw, a tall, beautiful young woman stood in her place. Her hair was as black as Harry's, yet she had somehow managed to keep it somewhat neat. Her skin was pale, her eyes a brilliant green. The tattered black wizard robes she wore framed her mature figure; slender hands with long, delicate nails emerged from the large sleeves.

"Who..." Harry began to ask, but was interrupted as the woman started talking quickly.

"There's no time to explain right now, Harry. Dumbledore wants you at Hogwarts immediately, and I'm going to take you there. Get your things together," she told him. He stood there, mouth slightly agape. She looked at him with a mixture of impatience, amusement, and pity. "Well don't just stand there looking dumbfounded, get a move on!" she snapped, spurring him into sudden action.

He packed his things in a confused frenzy, wondering who she was and what she was doing there and where Hedwig was and what they were going to do about Hermione and how Dumbledore...oh yes, he remembered. Dumbledore knew everything right when it happened. When he was through packing, he turned to face her and she nodded. "Right then," she said. "Let's go."

Without so much as a wave of her wand to leave a note explaining to the Dursleys where Harry had disappeared to, she grabbed hold of him and Disapparated from Privet Drive. They materialized outside a deep forest, which Harry recognized as the Forbidden Forest. He looked around, seeing the wreckage of an old mansion and broken train tracks. "This is the other side of the forest, Harry," the woman explained. "This is what Muggles perceive Hogwarts to be. They don't come looking any further because any who do meet an untimely end in the forest itself." She smiled wryly. "As you must know, the centaurs do not take kindly to intruders in their forest."

Still confused, Harry nodded and followed her to the edge of the trees, where a horse and carriage stood waiting in a patch of clear ground not far away. "Come along," the woman said, grabbing Harry's hand and leading her to the carriage. They climbed inside and set off, riding extremely fast over branches and through trees, trying hard to avoid detection from the centaurs.

When they reached the other side of the forest, they climbed out of the carriage, and without a word to the driver continued on. Harry looked around to catch a glimpse of Hagrid's cottage, and wasn't surprised to see it dark and empty. Dumbledore was probably the only one of the Hogwarts professors, with the exception of possibly McGonagall or Snape, who spent his summer holidays at the castle.

The woman and Harry entered the castle, her still gripping his hand and leading him behind her. They walked at a brisk pace to the statue before Dumbledore's office. "Hershey's Kisses," she said firmly, and the statue moved to reveal the all-too-familiar staircase that Harry had become quite accustomed to. They climbed the staircase and entered Dumbledore's office, slightly out of breath, to be greeted by a squawk from Fawkes.

"Venus? Harry? Is that you?" came the elderly voice from the other room. _So THAT'S what this woman's name is,_ thought Harry._ Venus..._ Dumbledore entered the room, a slightly worried expression on his face. "Did you explain everything to him?" he asked the woman.

"There was no time, Headmaster," she replied. "I thought it necessary to get him here as soon as possible. Lord knows there will be many explanations in order here, anyway."

The old wizard nodded, and turned his attention to Harry. "Have a seat, Harry," he said kindly, indicating the chair opposite his, which sat near Fawkes' roost. Harry sat, preparing himself for more information that may very well disrupt his mind frame even further.

"Well," Dumbledore began, "as you may have already guessed, the owl you referred to as Hedwig is an Animagus. She is twenty-four years old, and has been keeping an eye on you for me ever since Hagrid first bought her for you. Not only is she a member of the Order, an excellent witch, and one of the few Seers left in the wizarding world, but Venus Potter is your half-sister."

Harry nodded, clearly not comprehending the meaning of what Dumbledore had just said. Then it sunk it, and he leapt up from his chair, head spinning. "Venus POTTER?! My half-SISTER?! What?!" he nearly shouted.

Dumbledore motioned for him to sit back down. "Calm down, Harry, all will be explained." Looking at Venus, who had been busy staring at her hands resting in her lap, he continued. "The only people who knew about Venus were James, Lily, myself, and Hagrid."

"Hagrid?" Harry asked, looking at Dumbledore questioningly.

"Yes. If you'll remember, when you went into the owl emporium, he directed you towards her first. In reality, a charm had been placed on her that would attract you to her immediately, so that there would be no possible way for you to choose another owl. She was carefully placed, and she has been your faithful owl, Hedwig, ever since then. The only times she takes her human form is when she's reporting back to me."

Harry stared in amazement at the woman before him. Apparently, she had spent most of the past seven years of her life as an owl...for him... He shook his head. "That's not possible. My parents were too young to have someone her age."

"Which brings me to my next confession, Harry," Dumbledore said, folding his hands. "Your father had a relationship with a rather older woman before he and Lily were married. The result was Venus here." He indicated the woman, whose face was getting gradually redder by the minute. "Normally, Venus is very shy, and does not like to talk to people." Harry didn't remember her being shy around him at all. Seeing this in his eyes, Dumbledore explained: "When the need for her to be commanding and direct arises, she will be as she must. The Venus you saw at your uncle's house was the Venus that was needed at the time." He smiled at her. "And, if you will notice now, she is back to being her meek, shy self."

Harry pondered all of this for a moment, but a single question ate at the back of his mind. "Does....does anyone know who her mother is?" he asked tentatively. He suddenly wished he hadn't asked as he saw her hands contract into small fists.

Dumbledore looked at her kindly. "May I tell him, Venus?" he asked.

She didn't respond, but looked up at Harry. My mother is Professor Sibyl Trelawney. She is the reason I'm a Seer," she told him matter-of-factly. He stared at her. His father? Have a relationship with _Trelawney???_ It was almost unthinkable.

"I can see why it bothers you," he muttered before he could stop himself.

"Harry!" Dumbledore admonished. "That was extremely uncalled for."

"I'm sorry," Harry said hastily. "I didn't mean...I mean I didn't realize...Oh, bother..."

"It's okay," Venus whispered. "Everyone knows my mother's an old hag, so it doesn't bother me."

"Nah, that's not the case," Harry said, trying to redeem himself. "She's not all that bad."

"Yes, she is..."

Dumbledore glanced from Harry to Venus and smiled. "I can tell that this is going to be an adventure," he mused to himself as he watched the interaction between the two young adults. He cleared his throat, and they both looked up at him. "Now, about Miss Granger..."

Harry's ears perked up at the mention of Hermione. "How is she? Does anyone know anything? Where is he keeping her? What does he intend to do with her? How do we get her back? Who knows that she's gone? I already owled Ron, so he knows..."

Dumbledore interrupted. "Please, Harry! Let me explain everything." Harry closed his mouth, obviously itching to say more. "Peter Pettigrew attacked the Granger residence late last night. He Stunned her parents and then turned to Hermione, who was able to fend him off with a few well-chosen spells. After he left, she was very occupied with bringing her parents to, and she didn't notice Lucius Malfoy behind her. He Stunned her and took her away. Hermione's parents are currently in the care of several members of the Order, but they are rather shaken and very afraid for Hermione's life. As things stand, Miss Granger remains unharmed, but Voldemort is keeping her prisoner in order to lure you into his clutches." The Headmaster looked at Harry pointedly. "Harry, you must promise me that you will not go looking for her on your own. If I recall, Arthur Weasley asked you to make this same promise concerning Sirius during your third year, but you ignored it." A stabbing pain pierced Harry's heart at the mention of his godfather, but he refused to let it show. Dumbledore continued. "This need is more imperative even than that one was, because if you go without assistance, you could be destroyed, and the Dark Lord may very well rise to full power once again."

Harry mused over all of this for awhile. "I will be able to help rescue her, though, won't I? I mean, I'm not going to be left behind completely, am I?" he asked anxiously.

"There is a possibility that you may be able to help us. However, if the risk seems too great, we will not allow you to come with us. Remus, Arthur, Molly, Alastor, Severus, Venus, and I may be able to handle it."

Harry shook his head. "I want to go."

"We'll see, Harry," Dumbledore said. "We'll see."


End file.
